On This Day in History, 15 October
BIRTHDAYS
1858 John L Sullivan Mass, heavyweight boxing champ (1882-92)
1925 - Mickey Baker of Mickey & Sylvia (”Love Is Strange”)
1942 Penny Marshall Bronx NY, actress (Odd Couple, Laverne & Shirley)
ENTERTAINMENT
1951 - The first episode of “I Love Lucy” aired on CBS.
1955 - “Grand Ole Opry” premiered on ABC-TV.
1955 - Buddy Holly opened a show for Elvis Presley in Lubbock, TX.
1958 - Jackie Wilson records “Lonely Teardrops” which will become his first
US Top Ten hit, reaching #7 on Billboard’s Pop chart and #1 on the R&B chart.
1961 - In Nashville, Elvis Presley recorded the song “Good Luck Charm.”
1963 - The Rip Chords record “Hey Little Cobra”, which features Doris Day’s
son Terry Melcher on lead vocal, with the high harmony added by future
Beach Boys member, Bruce Johnson.
1971 - Rick Nelson played the seventh Annual Rock ’n’ Roll Revival show in
New York. The crowd booed him when all the oldies weren’t played, as
Nelson preferred to promote his latest material. The reaction to his performance
inspired Nelson to write his last top 40 hit, “Garden Party.” It went to number
6 in 1972, with lyrics that included the lines,
“If you gotta play at garden parties,
I wish you a lot of luck,
But if memories were all I sang,
I’d rather drive a truck.”
1973 - Elvis Presley is hospitalized in Memphis for two weeks,
suffering from pneumonia.
#1 SONG ON THIS DATE
15 October
1964 … “Do Wah Diddy Diddy” by Manfred Mann
1963 … “Sugar Shack” by Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs
1962 … “Monster Mash” by Bobby “Boris” Pickett & the Crypt Kickers
1961 … “Hit the Road Jack” by Ray Charles
1960 … “Save the Last Dance for Me” by The Drifters
1959 … “Mack the Knife” by Bobby Darin
1958 … “It’s All in the Game” by Tommy Edwards
1957 … “Wake Up Little Susie” by The Everly Brothers
1956 … “Don’t Be Cruel/ Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley
1955 … “The Yellow Rose of Texas” by Mitch Miller